Renovation: Reinforcements
by Helena Mira
Summary: Jim calls in the reserves to help finish the project, while the Professor calls in a reserve of his own to help Nanny.
1. Chapter 1: Trust

_As things reach a critical juncture at the worksite, the reserves are called in to help finish the join. Meanwhile, Emmeline returns to help Nanny escape from her nightmares._

**Reinforcements**

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

**Chapter 1: Trust**

Monday morning dawned hot and sunny. It was already in the mid 80s and they hadn't even left the house yet. For the second night in a row, Phoebe had slept peacefully. The Professor was happy to see her moving around the kitchen that morning with more energy than she had in a while. The kids were delighted to see that she had made pancakes for them.

"Well, you should enjoy the one hot meal that you'll be getting from me today," she warned. "There's no way that I'm going to turn on the stove tonight."

"What are we going to eat, if you're not going to cook?" asked Butch.

"I'm going to do what women often do in the South. This morning Prudence and I will bake chicken and make potato salad and we'll have a cold plate supper," she replied.

"Sounds good to me!" said the Professor, happy at her improved mood.

She had turned back to the sink where she was starting to clean up.

"I am worried about you out at the worksite today though," she began.

Everyone at the table looked anxiously at each other, except Trelawney, who just kept eating. Nanny had seemed so much better since Saturday night. They were afraid that she was slipping back. However, the young girl just gestured that it was okay.

Turning back to them, she said, "It's going to be extremely hot today. I want you to make sure that you stay out of the sun and drink lots of water."

"You don't have to worry about that," said Hal in relief. "On Saturday Ted made us drink so much that I thought my kidneys would explode."

The other kids laughed and the Professor said, "Well, to be more accurate, it would have been your bladder. You see . . ."

"Do you have to talk about that now?" asked Trelawney.

"No," said the Professor. "We can save it for later."

"And you know, they will, Phoebe," she said, turning to her sister. "You wouldn't believe some of the conversations they have out there. I believe that last week I felt as if I were in an endless science lecture."

"Oh, yeah?" said Hal. "Well, sometimes it sounds like you and Mike are having a contest to see who knows the most Broadway shows."

Trelawney rolled her eyes. "Actually, we are debating the merits of Broadway versus West End productions of the same plays and musicals. Of course, I have an advantage."

"Like what?"

Phoebe gave her a hard look. Seeing her face, Trelawney added, "I have a better memory for all that. Mike is too busy worrying about his sciences and maths to really know his theatre well enough."

"Well, I don't know how we got this far off topic," said the Professor. "But if you kids don't get in the car in two minutes, then we'll all be doing push ups."

"Do you have to come again, Dad?" complained Butch.

The Professor gave Phoebe a sidewise glance.

She said, "Professor, I really think that you should get to work on your semester classes. I do believe that you have fallen behind."

She smiled at him as he breathed a sigh of relief. It meant more to him than just the fact that he would not be out in the grueling heat. It meant that she was feeling secure enough about her own fears.

Before they got in the car, Trelawney pulled him aside.

"Well done, Professor," she said in approval.

"What?"

"Your little adventure on Saturday night of course. She is far more at peace than she was before. She is worried about today, but at least it is a REAL worry," she explained.

"And the unicorn?"

"Still lurking in the shadows," she replied. "You did well to ask for Emmeline."

"Is she coming?"

"Of course. Emmeline is always there for Phoebe," she said.

"How did you . . ."

"Now, Professor. When are you going to learn to stop asking questions that you know that we won't give you a straight answer to? Or perhaps you enjoy playing head games with us?" she replied in amusement.

The Professor did not even bother to ask how she knew about the head games conversation. However it did make him feel a bit uncomfortable that living in the house as she did, she had the capability of intruding into their privacy in more ways than one. When they finally settled Phoebe once and for all, he was going to discuss it with her.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

When he returned from the worksite he could hear Phoebe and Prudence moving around the kitchen. Before he went into his study he popped his head in and said,

"Don't forget we have somewhere to be at ten!"

"I won't. We'll be done in time," she said cheerfully.

"Nanny," said Prudence. "I don't see why you and Daddy keep going places without me. Why can't I come with you sometimes?"

It was a question that Phoebe had never considered. After a moment she said,

"Do you know how you and the others were hoping that we would get engaged on Saturday night?"

"Are you?"

"No darling, not yet."

"But you're taking forever," she complained.

"Well, not really," explained Phoebe. "I know in all in the fairy tales, the princess and the prince fall in love very quickly and then live happily ever after, also very quickly, but that's not really how it works."

"Oh," said Prudence. "How does it work?"

"When men and women in real life meet they start out as friends. And then, when they get to know each other better, they may realize that they are in love," she explained.

"And then they get married?" asked the little girl.

"Not so quickly. Some people do, but if they rush things they can make a mistake. And then they get divorced. And that is very sad, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. But Nanny, if you and Daddy get married, you'll never get divorced," declared Prudence confidently.

"Why do you think that, dear?" asked Nanny curiously.

"Trelawney said so," she replied. "Trelawney said that you and Daddy are really and truly in love. She said that you could never have married Mr. Feathers because you weren't meant to."

"Well," smiled Phoebe, "I don't suppose that Trelawney told you anything that you didn't already know."

"Actually, she didn't tell me. She told Francine," said Prudence with a guilty expression on her face.

"Prudence," said Nanny with a touch of sternness in her voice. "You must really not listen in the other people's conversations. If you do, they are going to get very angry with you."

"I know," she said. "But nobody ever tells me anything."

"Well, I'll tell you something, if you promise to keep it a secret," said Phoebe.

"I promise," said Prudence, crossing her heart as she spoke.

"When your Daddy and I go out alone, it's because we are talking to someone who is helping us get ready to get married," she said quietly.

Prudence's eyes became large and a wide smile filled her face. "When you're ready will Daddy give you a ring?"

"Yes, darling," she said. "When we're ready."

"Can you hurry up and get ready? I have a secret for you. Will you promise not to tell?" asked Prudence.

"Absolutely," answered Phoebe, crossing her own heart.

Prudence gestured to her to bend down, so that she could whisper in her ear.

"Sometimes when I have no one to play with, I go to my room and practice calling you, Mommy. I want to be ready for when you really are my Mommy."

Phoebe held the child tightly so that she couldn't see the tears in her eyes. No words could have been sweeter to her ears, than those that this precious child, who would be her own child, had spoken. She was glad that they were going to be seeing Dr. Meyers soon. She had lots of work to do so that Prudence could put her practice into use.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

On the way to see Dr. Meyers, Prudence was dropped off at her friend Amy's house. Amy was going stir crazy without anyone to play with and her mother was only too happy to accept Prudence for a few hours if it meant that Amy would be occupied. Since Amy was an only child, she was in pretty much the same position as Prudence when it came to playmates. As they dropped her off, Prudence hung back a little to give Nanny a second kiss and whispered in her ear, "See you later . . . You know!" She put her finger to her lips to indicate that they had a secret.

As the drove away the Professor commented, "What was all that about?"

"Just a little secret between us girls," was the answer he got. Nanny smiled to herself and decided that this was going to be her own special secret with Prudence.

"I think that I know better than to get into the middle of that," he said cheerfully. He knew that as the girls grew older there would probably be more mother-daughter secrets. And he suspected that the older they got, the less that he would want to know about them.

The minute that they walked into the office, Phil noticed the change.

"Phoebe, you look great!" he said. "You look relaxed and as if you've had enough sleep for the first time this summer!"

Phoebe smiled and said, "I'm feeling better than I have this whole summer."

"What happened this weekend?" he asked.

Phoebe looked to Hal who looked back at her quizzically.

"If I am not mistaken, I believe that we have finally had our first date," he said.

"Your first date?" asked Dr. Meyers, somewhat surprised

"Yes," agreed Phoebe, "I believe that it was our first date."

"You two are really too much," said Dr. Meyers shaking his head. "On Friday, you were in here talking about being married and having a blue-eyed baby girl, and you had never even been out on a date."

"Well, it's not as if we haven't spent a lot of time together," said Hal defensively.

"No offense, buddy, but didn't it ever occur to you to romance this girl a little bit before you assumed that you would be getting married. No wonder she doesn't have an engagement ring yet," he replied.

"Now you sound like the kids," griped Hal.

"Really, and what do the kids say?" asked Dr. Meyers.

"The boys are threatening to lock him up in a jewelry store if he doesn't get me an engagement ring soon," replied Phoebe, relieved that for once Hal was the one on the hot seat.

"Oh?"

"The kids were disappointed yesterday morning when we had not gotten engaged. I guess that we were out so late, that they just assumed that that was the reason," explained Phoebe

"How late were you out? I'm just curious," asked Phil.

"We didn't get home until about three am. We drove up to the state park so that we could get a great view of the Perseids meteor shower. It was the ideal night for it," answered Hal.

"Okay, so then the idea was to have a romantic night out," he said.

"Yes," said Phoebe softly, "And it was. I had forgotten that Hal had promised to take me somewhere out of town this weekend, so it was a surprise. I didn't even know where we were going until we were more than halfway there. It could not have been a more perfect night."

"That's all that matters," said Dr. Meyers. "I'm sorry I gave you a hard time, Hal. Especially since I can see that the kids are teasing you too, but you need to realize that you are in control of this."

"I know. Now you sound like my son," said Hal. "It's just that I want everything to be perfect. While I'm trying to make everything perfect, the time just seems to get away from me."

"Well, old man, perfectionism is one of the surest predictors of a procrastinator," replied Dr. Meyers. "And you just gave us the perfect example of why. Sorry, poor choice of words."

"Hal, I don't need for everything to be perfect," added Phoebe. "Just getting out of the house and away from the kids and town to spend some time alone with you is perfect as far as I am concerned."

Hal looked at her and realized that she was being completely honest. She was looking back at him with love and tenderness.

"Well," said Dr. Meyers, "I sure that you would both be happy to stay on this topic, but I have to ask how the sleeping is going."

Phoebe looked down, "The last two nights were fine. But Friday night was terrible."

"Do you remember anything, now?"

"Only a sense of fear and foreboding," she answered and then looked up to Hal. "I know that I told you about it, but I don't remember what I said."

"You were pretty vague," Hal admitted. "Your fear was about something very dark. There were formless monsters, you said. And they were coming for you and Trelawney. You felt powerless even to "dream" me into the story to protect you. Does that mean anything?"

"It could," said Dr. Meyers. "It's difficult to say, because dream analysis is more art than science. And it's not really my specialty. The dark, formless monsters could symbolize anything that frightens you. It also means that you don't know what you are afraid of, or that it's too frightening to remember. You are concerned about your sister, we know that. It is puzzling that Hal, Trelawney's gallant knight, cannot save you. It seems that up to this point, he could."

Phoebe could feel the frustration and anxiety begin to seep back into her mind. Looking at Hal, she could see that he sensed it too. She knew that he wanted to put his arm around her, but he satisfied himself with picking up her hand. Dr. Meyers was closely watching them.

"Phoebe," said Hal softly. "It's alright. We'll stand up to this together."

"But how can we stand up to what we don't know?" she asked, the pitch of her voice rising.

Hal looked at Dr. Meyers. There seemed to be some kind of communication going on between them, but for once she couldn't read it. It was almost as frightening as not knowing the source of her nightmare.

"Phoebe, please don't be mad at me, but I had Trelawney contact Emmeline. She'll be arriving shortly," said Hal gently. "You know that she knows your mind better than anyone. And when she visits, she stays with you in your room. It may be the only way to help you figure this out."

Phoebe was silent, upset because Emmeline had been contacted without consulting her first and a bit frightened by the fact that they may be grasping at the last straws.

"Whose idea was that?" asked Phoebe tensely.

Dr. Meyers looked at Hal questioningly. He had no idea himself, in fact this was the first he heard of it.

Not wanting to lie, Hal said reluctantly, "Pastor Jason."

"You have been talking to Pastor Jason about me?" She was furious.

"Calm down, Phoebe," said Dr. Meyers. "If you let yourself get out of control, you won't be able to listen properly. If Hal talked with this pastor then he must have had a good reason."

Phoebe pulled her hand away. She crossed her legs and arms and looked down.

"Your body language is telling me that you are shutting down on us," said Dr. Meyers quietly. "If you do that, then we'll get nowhere. If you wish to maintain your protective posture, that's fine, but please look at Hal when he speaks to you."

Phoebe held on to her closed up position, but did look directly at Hal, angrily.

"Pastor Jason is very worried about you. He saw your reaction to Harvey Sloan, which from his perspective is completely irrational, twice, at the show and on Friday. He also heard about what happened at the nursing home on Thursday. He wanted to help me because he was concerned about how stressed out I was, and the fact that I was exhausted," began Hal.

"And I suppose that you just told him the whole story?" she asked defensively.

"Not the whole story," replied Hal, being careful not get upset himself. "Pastor Jason has a degree in counseling as well as his theological degree. He had some good insight, in fact I think that he understands you and Trelawney better than Phil here."

"Exactly how much did you tell him about us?" she asked. It was obvious that she was extremely upset by the breach of trust. She was very sensitive about others invading her privacy, yet she didn't seem to realize that the wall of confidence and self-assurance, that she normally projected, had fallen away weeks ago. The fragile nature of her recovery even since Saturday night was now becoming evident.

Hal refused to let her withdraw within herself. Instead he took both her hands and began to look deeply into her eyes. He focused his mind completely on her. He wanted her to see the depth of his feelings for her. Because he knew her so well, he knew that she would accept his thoughts more readily than his words. As he gazed into her lovely blue eyes, he turned over all of his thoughts to his concern for her and her pain and the sleepless nights that were robbing her of her vitality and spirit. And it was all underpinned by his great love for her.

The force of his mind, the strength of his focus initially startled her. What she had not been able to see before became transparent to her. As surely as the starlight had guided her from the well of her despair on Saturday night, the light of his love was reaching into her mind and heart like a beacon. His decision to bring Emmeline had been a risk. He was risking her anger and perhaps even the loss of her trust in him to save her.

In his mind she could read the fear that she was headed for a breakdown, a fear that had haunted him and been confirmed by Pastor Jason. But as his thoughts turned to Pastor Jason, she realized that that young man understood her very well. Emmeline had not been called a whim, but because possibly she was the only one left who could reach her.

Exhausted by the mental effort it had taken to reach so deeply into Hal's mind, as much as he had opened it to her, she closed her eyes and leaned back. Within seconds, she could feel his arms around her. She could feel him willing his strength into her. She was so tired, but resting in his arms she felt safe once more. However, the thing that meant more to her than anything else was the fact that he had proven to her, and perhaps even to himself, that he understood her well enough to know that by allowing her into his own mind, he would be able to communicate the profound nature of his love for her. And that was a very powerful form of trust in and of itself.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

On the way home from their session with Dr. Meyers, Hal made an executive decision.

"Phoebe, they are going to have to work out a solution for helping Joni with the kids that doesn't involve you," he said firmly and waited for another barrage of anger that he was taking control of her life again. But there was silence.

"Phoebe, did you . . ."

"Yes," she said quietly.

Once again he waited. He looked over at her, expecting that she would be looking out the window or otherwise avoiding him. But instead she was watching him closely. He extended his hand and without hesitation she grasped it. He knew that she was finally yielding and allowing him to help her.

When they got home he made his calls, first to Fr. Bob, and then to Amy's mother, who agreed to keep Prudence until dinner. He needed time with her, alone. He began to suspect that they were closer to a breakthrough than he had thought. After lunch, he went to work in the study and she to read in the living room. He kept the doors open, knowing that it helped her to know that he was near.

At one point, he looked up and noticed that she wasn't reading, but was staring off into space. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking, so he walked over and sat down beside her. She rested against him.

"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked her gently.

"Love me," she answered quietly.

"Always," he said and comfortably settled into the couch as he held her protectively in his embrace. Setting the work aside from his mind, he focused his mind and heart on loving her. He could feel her loving him back. It was as if each time they were joined in this way, the next time became easier. Before he knew it, they were dozing in the warm summer air in each other's arms.

It was a quiet afternoon. When they picked the kids, they could see that impressive amount of work had been done. The outside painting, with the exception of the porch, which was half built now, was done. Trelawney and Francine told them that they were painting inside now. The fence was completely built. All those kids, except for Butch and Tim, had moved to other parts of the project. Butch and Tim were going to finish painting the fence under the supervision of Pastor Mark.

The good news about the roof was that they were almost done shoring things up in the attic. Tomorrow they would begin the exterior work. Jim and the other site coaches were pleased with the kids and the job that they were doing.

"Everything's looking real good right now to have the job done by Thursday afternoon," he said.

"Thursday?" asked Lois, who was standing with them. "I thought that we had until Friday."

"Well" explained Jim. "The inspector is coming in here on Friday morning. I would like for everything to be shipshape on Thursday afternoon when we leave. The big problem is the heat."

"I know how terribly hot it's been up there already," said Lois. "Mike is not a big complainer, but if he's says that it's hot, then it must be hot."

"I would say that by tomorrow afternoon we'll have them on short shifts up there. They'll only be allowed up for twenty minutes at a time. Of course that'll slow things down because of the frequent up and down the ladder, but there's nothing else for it," said Jim. "We don't want any of those kids getting sick."

"Thanks for taking such good care of our kids, Jim," said Lois. "I don't know what we would have done without you."

"I don't know either what I would have done without you folks either," replied Jim with a smile. "I've been stuck in that nursing home for the last five years. This about the most useful that I've felt in about ten. I'm going to miss all this when we finally get the job done."

"Well," called out Pastor Jason, as he strode up, "Then we'll just have to think of some more ways to keep you busy!"

"Hey, there everyone! How are we all doing today?" Pastor Jason smiled happily.

"Pretty good!" said Lois. "Keeping the troops in line?"

"Trying to," said the cheerful young man. "Tom and Huck are going to get to finish painting that fence by themselves. With any luck, they'll get more paint on the fence than on themselves. Pastor Mark is going to be their personal supervisor."

"You know," said the Professor. "If they're too much of a problem, we can always just tell them that they've made their contribution and it's time to pack it in."

"Actually," said Pastor Jason. "We're all better off if Pastor Mark only has the two of them to worry about."

"Lord Jesus, yes," agreed Jim. "That man is all thumbs and one of the biggest klutzes I've ever met. Keeping the boys out of trouble is what keeps him out of trouble."

"If you say so," said Lois.

Nanny was looking at Pastor Jason. "Pastor Jason, may I speak with you for a moment?" she asked.

"Why, sure. Do you want to take a walk over to the shade?" he replied.

"Yes, please," she said and followed him over. The Professor looked after them, concerned about what Nanny might say. But he needn't have worried.

"Pastor," she started. "I would like to thank you for taking the time to talk with the Professor. I know that I've been causing him a lot of stress lately and I appreciate the fact that you've been listening and giving him advice."

"That's no big deal, Nanny," he answered easily. "You're both really great people and I don't like seeing either of you in pain. It's good to see you out here looking better."

"I'm . . . working at it. It's hard," she admitted. "Sometimes it feels like everything has just gone dark, and then . . ."

He waited, "And then what?"

"There's Hal. He's my light in the darkness," she said softly, looking over at where he was standing, talking to Lois and Jim. Jason followed her gaze.

"I can see that," he said. She looked up at him swiftly.

"You can't disguise it," he continued smiling. "You look at him in a way that you look at no one else. Even when you're not beside him, your eyes never leave him. It's very sweet, especially since it's obvious that he feels the same way about you."

"Nanny, I hope that you don't mind that I suggested that he call your cousin to come" he said tentatively.

"I was upset when I first heard it. That was mostly because I felt that he had violated my privacy and acted without consulting me. Then I realized that he just wanted to help me and that he trusted you," she answered.

"I hope that you feel that you can trust me," he replied.

"I do," she smiled. "But it's not easy. I like to guard my privacy. And I have my reasons for keeping certain things to myself."

"Everyone is entitled to that," agreed the pastor immediately. "But sometimes, if you really want to get help, you have to be willing to give a little."

"I know," she said. "I'm trying. But we're talking about a lot of years of habits to break."

He laughed. "Listen to you! Why if you were a day over thirty, I'd be shocked."

"Why, pastor, you know better than to discuss a woman's age with her!"

"You know I do! My tendency to over-estimate women's ages has been getting me in trouble for years," he answered.

Nanny just smiled back at him cryptically. He had no idea of how far off his estimation was!

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	2. Chapter 2: The Reserves

**Chapter 2: The Reserves**

Wednesday morning's session seemed to go nowhere. Phoebe's sleep the past two nights had been restless, but there no violent nightmares. There was little to say about the worksite or anything else. On the way out she complained to Hal,

"I don't see why we have to go back on Friday. Why can't we just go next week?"

"But we haven't found the problem yet," he replied.

"I know, but I feel like we're just talking in circles now," she was obviously frustrated.

As they pulled into the driveway they noticed someone sitting in the front yard waiting for them. It was Emmeline.

"Phoebe, I have missed you," she said as she took her cousin in her arms.

"I've missed you too, dear," replied Phoebe. "How is Sleeping Lotus?"

"Well as ever," said Emmeline with a smile. "It's really difficult for life to be too hard when one has devoted it to contemplation. You look as if you've had better days."

"It's been tough since the aunties visited," she admitted.

"And still no ring I see," she commented as the Professor walked up.

"Not you too!" he said throwing his hands up in the air. "You didn't even give me a chance to greet you!"

"Sorry, Professor," said Emmeline looking amused. "I did promise Aunt Agatha that I would check first thing."

"Great!" grumbled the Professor. "First I get put through an inspection as to whether I'm good enough to marry Phoebe. Now I'm not getting the ring on her hand fast enough. You Figalillys are all nuts."

Two pairs of blue eyes looked back at him questioningly.

"Present company excepted, of course," he quickly amended. "And I was the one who asked you to come. Thank you for coming on such short notice, Emmeline. I hope that you had a good trip?"

"Yes, thank you," she replied.

The three stood looking at each other for a moment and then Phoebe said, "I can see that you two want to talk about me out of my presence. I'll go in and make lunch."

"Phoebe," said Hal, taking her arm.

"No, Hal, I understand," she said looking directly at him. He gently kissed her cheek and his eyes followed her all the way into the house.

"I didn't think that it was possible, but I do believe that you love her even more now than you did when I left you three months ago."

Her voice startled him. He turned and saw that she was looking at him fondly, almost as if she was already his cousin.

Not knowing where to start, he simply said, "We need your help."

"I know," she said grimly. "I have heard as much from Trelawney, and the aunts."

"Did they tell you the whole story?" asked Hal.

"Yes they did. I spoke for a long time with Aunt Agatha and you need to know that when she here she did not tell you the full truth of what was in Francine's mind."

"I was afraid of that. Is it as bad . . ." he really couldn't finish. His mind was beginning to cloud with feelings of anger.

"I will not tell you because knowing your temper, I think it very likely that Phoebe would learn of it from your thoughts. It is better that she not know, ever, if possible," answered Emmeline.

"And Trelawney?"

"The destruction of the unicorn freed her in a way that you might not understand. She had seen that necklace before. In fact she had worn it, secretly. When he took it away, he told that he would return with it," she replied.

"And come to claim the fair maiden," said Hal. "So then was there some kind of psychic bond between them that was destroyed along with the necklace?"

"You might say that," said Emmeline, a bit surprised that he could have figured it out for himself.

"Emmeline, I am no expert in this, but when Phoebe has these nightmares, she is unable to identify the source of her terror."

"I know, that is what Trelawney told me," said Emmeline.

"But Trelawney knows. Or at least she says she knows," said Hal.

"I believe she knows. She had no reason to lie about this. She is very worried about her sister and afraid for her," explained Emmeline. "I know that you do not believe that what she is saying makes any sense, but it does."

"Emmeline, I had a thought. Is it possible that these nightmares are in some way Cholmondeley's revenge for the broken engagement? Some kind of a plot to drive her crazy?" he asked.

"No, I don't believe that he has ever had a strong enough mental connection with Phoebe to do something like that. Now he is, quite literally, continents away. He will never come near either of them again," replied Emmeline firmly.

"How can we be sure of that?" he asked.

"That's an easy one. Right now he is in Africa, Tanzania to be exact. He is on safari with our Cousin William. There will always be one of the family with him or near him. We will always know where he is," explained Emmeline. "Trelawney is quite right when she says that the unicorn is dead, no longer real. He is no threat to either of them."

"But what about Phoebe? How can Trelawney know this, but Phoebe not?" he asked, his frustration rising. This is where the whole thing had started.

"Professor, please try to stay calm. I will tell Phoebe where he is, who is with him, and what the plan is for their future safety. This may or may not help," she said softly pointing to the door.

"I promise that I will not leave until she sleeps in peace," she added.

"Lunch is ready," said Phoebe from the door. She looked subdued. Emmeline watched as the Professor stepped inside and took her in his arms. Even from the yard, she could feel the love and strength he was trying to project into her cousin. The thought crossed her mind that he was learning to communicate with her on a deeper level than any of them had thought possible. Trelawney had for months suspected that there was something different, unique in his relationship with Phoebe and it now occurred to her that the young girl might be right.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Emmeline got her first glimpse of the worksite that afternoon. It was broiling hot. The porch was fully built, although not yet painted. The fence was completely painted. The painting on the outside of the house was also complete. The roof was the big problem. It had obviously been so hot that they had not been able to get much done. As they drove up, they could see that the crew was sitting in the shade eating ice cream that Lois and a few of her Columbiettes had brought over. Under the tent that the Knights had up for their grills were large water jugs.

The kids looked beat and the crew that had been up on the roof looked discouraged. Jim and Donny were trying to cheer them up, but it was clear that they were disappointed.

"Come on, Donny," Mike was saying, "If you would just let us take longer shifts up there then you wouldn't have to call in the reserves."

"Now, Mike," replied Donny. "I have never worked with a crew of men who who have put their hearts and souls into a job the way that you have. You had to start from the ground up on all your skills and you've worked long hours without complaining. But we've got to bring this job in on time. Old Abercrombie was out here about an hour ago being a real hard ass about getting the job done on time. Excuse my language, Pastor. But I feel as frustrated as these boys here."

"Well, we are starting earlier tomorrow morning," said Pastor Jason. "Don't you think that the extra two hours will help?"

"It will help, but it won't get it done. It will be cooler, but the sun heats things up real fast. We're getting extra ladders so that we can change the shifts faster, but in the heat today, they couldn't last longer than fifteen minutes at a time," he said.

"Now I know that the porch kids are done and a couple of them want to go up, but I don't want anyone up there who's either scared or under the age of sixteen. I think that even that is pushing it," added Jim. "If we're going to get this done we need men up there."

"Well that's what I'm here for," said Mr. Tucker. "Topher, you going to go up?"

"You bet!" cried the young guy. "I am totally psyched that we got that porch done! I know that we can get that roof done."

"I guess it's my turn to speak up," muttered the Professor to Phoebe, after hearing some of the other dads jump in. He could see his own kids looking over at him.

"Over here, Jim. Count me in!" he called out.

"Good man, Professor!" called back Jim. "Now that we got the roof covered, we have to talk about the interior."

"We're pretty much all painted, Jim," said Bill. "Francine and Trelawney are going back in for some touch up, but that won't stop us from bringing in the floor people. The appliances will go in fast enough on Friday."

At the meeting two weeks ago, it had been decided that the extra funds raised would go into new floors and appliances. They were getting the appliances at cost from the local store. The three most valuable appliances were a dishwasher, clothes washer, and dryer. Nobody could quite figure out how Joni had managed without them before, but with the time she would save with them when the older kids were at school, she would have more time for Eliot. Kevin and his pals were going to borrow Topher's van to bring in the playground equipment tomorrow as well.

But that would mean nothing unless they could get that roof done, or Abercrombie would give them time to finish it. Pastor Jason sat down with the site coaches and the three teen leaders to work out a plan for tomorrow. While the other kids went back to clean up, Trelawney saw Emmeline and ran over and gave her a big hug.

"Ugh," said Emmeline. "You are covered in paint, grime, and sweat. Don't touch me again until after you've had a bath."

"Oh, Em!" she declared. "Don't be such a spoil sport! Just think. I've been doing the Lord's work for two and a half weeks! Aren't you proud of me?"

"Actually, love, I'm very proud of you. But that doesn't mean that I want to get as grimy as you," replied her cousin.

"Emmeline always was the fastidious one," said the little girl to the Professor.

She turned to give Phoebe a hug. Not minding the mess, since she was gardener and frequently in the dirt herself, Phoebe reciprocated, much to Emmeline's disgust.

"I don't know what to do with the two of you," she said affectionately, because she enjoyed seeing them happy together.

"Trelawney!" called Francine. "Will you please get over here and get your paintbrushes clean! Now!"

"Who died and left her God?" asked the Professor.

"Bill," answered Trelawney. "Well, he didn't die, but Francine has been put in charge of me. Keeping me in line and all that."

"And you let her?" asked Emmeline amused.

Trelawney looked at her oddly. "Francine is my guardian angel. She kept me safe from the unicorn."

Emmeline looked puzzled. She had heard about the unicorn, but had not realized that Francine's role in the story had so significant.

"Francine was quite my protector. If it wasn't for her, my gallant knight would not have been able to kill him," she added. "Now I must go or she will be most bothered."

Emmeline did not have a chance to question her further. The meeting had broken up and Pastor Jason came over.

"So, is this young lady Phoebe's cousin?" he asked. "I can see the family resemblance. You two could be sisters."

"Quite true," replied Emmeline. "I'm Emmeline Figalilly and I believe that I am here at your suggestion."

Phoebe looked at the Professor.

"I didn't tell her," he said, and then threw up his hands. "What else is new? I'm going over to talk to Donny about my crew assignment."

Phoebe and Emmeline looked amused.

"He still isn't used it?" she asked.

"Yes, well, most of the time, but occasionally it catches him off guard," explained Phoebe.

It was Pastor Jason's turn to be amused. These two clearly enjoyed teasing poor Hal and his discomfort with their psychic gifts.

"So I understand that you have come here from Tibet?" he inquired. "By the way, I'm Pastor Jason."

"I'm sorry," said Phoebe. "I should have introduced you."

"Nanny!" called Hal. "Can you come over here so I can show you our porch?"

"Of course, Hal," she replied. "Will you excuse me?"

"No problem," replied Pastor Jason who then turned to Emmeline and said, "I suppose that means that you want to speak with me alone?"

She raised an eyebrow and he grinned, "I've been working side by side with Miss Trelawney for two and a half weeks now. I have you ladies a bit figured out."

"Only a bit I'm sure," she said coolly. "But I can see that you do have some very genuine concerns."

"You're going to have to do better than that if you think that you're going to throw me off balance. When you're a pastor you learn to roll with the punches, so to speak," he replied.

"Well, since we understand each other, I suggest that we have our little chat before one of them decides to come back," she said, trying to get control of the conversation back.

Pastor Jason gave her a mischievous look and then decided she was right. They didn't really have time to play mind games all day.

"Phoebe and Hal are both in rough shape," he said seriously. "She is very close to a breakdown of some kind and since he doesn't know what to do about it, he's going down the same path. Neither of them are getting enough sleep, which is making things worse, but the real problem is these nightmares."

"Trelawney has told me about the specter of unicorn," she said. "Phoebe does not claim, or even seem to know for that matter, however that he is stalking her, so to speak."

"Trelawney is a head case all by herself. I've spent a lot of time talking to both her and Francine over the past couple of days. She has developed an enormous trust in me. She understands, based on all the work that we have done on this project together, that I am one of the forces for good in the universe, so to speak. I have been able to ascertain that the 'unicorn' took her to a very dark place as a small child. She did not understand what happened then. I'm not sure that she still does," he said.

Emmeline was silent. "She and Phoebe have always been very deeply psychically connected. They have become closer since their parents died. When my aunts threatened to take Trelawney back home, they both responded irrationally, although eventually we did understand Trelawney's fears. Phoebe's seem to emanate purely from the idea that they would be separated."

"Now Phoebe's fears of separation have been replaced by these darker fears of danger to the child and herself," observed Pastor Jason. "From what I have seen of Trelawney, she seems to draw her strength and stability from others. Phoebe is much more solitary. She seems to only be able to draw strength from one person, Hal."

"Part of that is a difference in personality. Phoebe by nature is much more of an introverted person. Trelawney has always been more open and extroverted. My aunt used to refer to her as her butterfly child," explained Emmeline.

"Butterfly child. That's a very apt description. So if Trelawney is a butterfly, the what is Phoebe?" he asked curiously.

Emmeline's mouth curved into a smile, "Phoebe is a mother bird. She cares for her children in her nest, then pushes them out to face the world and builds another nest."

"Ah, the eternal nanny," said Pastor Jason thoughtfully.

"But, no more. Somewhere along the line, her destiny was altered. It is impossible to know at what exact moment in her life that it happened. But at some point, fate dropped her on Hal Everett's doorstep, when he most needed her, and he was present in her life when she most desperately needed him. Their feelings for one another evolved slowly and not until after great suffering for both of them.

"Trelawney recognized very early on that their relationship was fated, on a very deep level in fact. They belong together. If I tell you something in confidence, you cannot speak or think of it ever in their presence," said Emmeline.

"I promise," said Pastor Jason, already knowing that what he was about to hear was indeed something that must remain hidden.

"My family gave their blessing for this mixed marriage, as it is known, because they are destined to have children together whose fates have already been written. This must remain an absolute secret however. It is one of those things, if known that could alter the all of their destinies and everyone's connected with them," she said.

"But Trelawney knows this. I know because she told me," said Pastor Jason.

"Yes, I know that she does," replied Emmeline. "But because she is of our world she knows that she must never mention or think it in their presence. She does indeed have a very great trust in you if she told you."

"And you are sure that she won't even be tempted to tell them? From what I have seen she is a very impulsive child."

"Trelawney is many things, pastor," said Emmeline. "But her deepest love is all for her sister. When they lost their parents, Phoebe was, in her mind, all that she had left. She has lost her trust in the rest of the family because of threats that had to be made to keep her in line. She may tease Phoebe, the way all little sisters do, but she will never hurt her. She will do everything she can to protect her."

The conversation was over. The family wanted to get home. Pastor Jason was glad that he was able to talk to Emmeline. His initial instincts were correct. Emmeline would be able to sort it out.

****

Later that night while they were getting ready for bed, Phoebe asked Emmeline about her conversation with Pastor Jason.

"You two seemed to be having a cozy chat," she commented.

"I don't know if I would call it cozy," said Emmeline carefully. "But he does seem to have a very good understanding of the Figalillys in general and you in particular."

"He's got a counseling background, you know," replied Phoebe. "Now that I know that, I wish that he was our counselor instead of Dr. Meyers."

"Why is that?"

"As a minister, he understands the world, and human beings, from a faith perspective. Dr. Meyers is a scientist. Pastor Jason makes me feel as though he is interested in me as a person. He inspires confidence. He easily accepts me such as I am, Trelawney as well.

"Dr. Meyers makes me feel like a science experiment. He wants to figure out how my brain works. I know that he is very eager to meet Trelawney, but I doubt that she respond the way he wants. She would immediately start to torture him with her mental gymnastic abilities. She could turn him into the head case," she explained, smiling at the last thought. "Come to think of it, maybe we should let her sit down with him."

"Make her sit down would be more like it. I can see how you would find all that troubling," said Emmeline. "Why don't you ask the Professor if you can stop going to Dr. Meyers? He seems to like Pastor Jason very much."

"He won't agree to that. Ask him for yourself. It's not about Pastor Jason. He prefers the scientific mindset. Hard as he is trying to truly understand me and communicate with me on my own level, he does have his limits," she replied and then added. "At this point."

"I can see his efforts to reach you on a spiritual plain. It's not easy for someone who makes his living by viewing the world from a scientific world view. Considering who he is, I think that he is doing quite well," replied Emmeline.

Phoebe smiled softly. "Yes, he is."

Emmeline looked at her. Despite her obvious fragility, she was more beautiful than ever because of her love for this man. She knew when she was thinking of him, which was nearly all of the time, because her aura glowed more warmly.

As they climbed into bed, she said, "I would say sweet dreams, but I doubt that they would come. Perhaps it is better if they do not."

"Perhaps," said Phoebe. "As much as I want to come to grips with this, I do not look forward to closing my eyes."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Emmeline could sense Phoebe's fear before she actually woke up. Phoebe's nightmare penetrated into her own dream. That, in and of itself, was very disturbing. These were no ordinary nightmares. She could see why it was so painful.

Phoebe was perceiving Trelawney's own pain and the buried nightmare of the dark reality that she could not understand. Because Phoebe could only perceive the trauma through the filter of Trelawney's eight-year-old memory, she could not know it any better than the little girl did.

Memories that are formed and stored in long-term memory rely on semantic, or linguistic, memory for this storage. At age eight, the child did not know the words to express what had happened to her. But she had understood that what had happened to her was terribly wrong and dark. The concrete image that she was able to understand, and therefore retain, was the unicorn.

The unicorn itself, the ivory pendant hanging from a cord, was the gateway to her semantic memory. But now, for all intents and purposes, the unicorn was dead to her. Her psychic sensibilities and innate understanding of archetypes allowed this to happen. That was the good news. The bad news was that by smashing the unicorn, the Professor had effectively smashed the gateway, but memories were still buried. There was no way to destroy them once they were stored there. It was difficult to say at this point whether those memories would surface again in her.

When Phoebe awoke beside her, calling for the Professor, Emmeline had no choice. She immediately saw that nothing or no one else would possibly calm her. She watched helplessly as he tenderly took her in his arms and rocked her as if she were a child. He stroked her hair and gently kissed her forehead. She was touched to realize that he had obviously done this before. She could sense in Phoebe, the recognition of these actions. Her response was so immediate that it was very nearly conditioned.

However, for the Professor, it was quite stressful. Despite his ability to calm her, he was frustrated by his inability to heal her. He clearly knew that, to put it in clinical terms, he was relieving symptoms rather than addressing causes. For a man of science, used to being in control of such things, the situation was nearly intolerable. It was no wonder that by now he was so strung out.

When Phoebe was calm they brought her downstairs for a cup of tea. The Professor sat holding her in the living room while she prepared the tea. When she returned, Trelawney was standing before them looking concerned.

"What did you see, Phoebe?" asked Emmeline, after she had given her a cup.

"It was dark and cold. I could feel the evil rushing at me. I could not stop it. I looked for Hal, but he wasn't there," she said.

"No, he wasn't," affirmed Trelawney.

Emmeline looked at her, "Trelawney, it is time for you to tell."

"Is it allowed?" she asked seriously.

"Yes, dear. Phoebe needs to know where the darkness is coming from when it comes into her dreams," said Emmeline.

For a moment, the little girl bowed her head, obviously deep in thought. Then she lifted her head and looked at them, with her hands neatly folded in front of her.

"Phoebe, darkness does not come for you. It does not come to you. It comes for me, but does not come to me. The gallant knight cannot save me from this darkness. It is not allowed. When the darkness came he was not real," she said quietly.

"Trelawney, what are you talking about?" asked Phoebe more puzzled than ever.

"The darkness is not real for you. It was never real for you. The light is real for you," she said and then turned to the Professor.

"Walk to the light, Phoebe, and the darkness will never trouble you again," she added.

"Trelawney," said Emmeline carefully. "Why does the darkness no longer come for you? Or come to you?"

"I don't believe that it is allowed for me to say," she replied.

Emmeline walked over and holding her carefully by the shoulders, looked deeply into her eyes.

"Do you trust me?" she asked.

Trelawney looked at her with the openness of a child.

"No," she answered simply, and turned to look to Phoebe and the Professor. She walked over to him and put her arms around the neck.

"You are my gallant knight. You killed the unicorn. He is no longer real to me. I trust only you," she said.

Hal, not knowing what else he could do, put his arm around her and held her close. Phoebe was now looking at her intently. Realizing this, Trelawney looked at her sister and held her gaze.

"The darkness does not come for you," she repeated to her directly. "It never came to you. Once it came for me. But it is gone."

Phoebe continued to look at her intently. Emmeline could see that she was trying to understand. But the memory was incomprehensible to someone who did not know the truth. The key to the memory was the unicorn, but the unicorn was gone.

Suddenly Trelawney yawned. "I'm tired. May I please go to bed?"

Her whole affect had changed and once more she was a little girl. She disengaged from Hal and got ready to leave them.

"Yes, dear," replied Phoebe as she rested back in Hal's arms.

Before she went up the stairs, she turned and said, "You have done well, Professor. But he is not banished. The only thing he fears more than the knight, is the light."

Phoebe was considerably calmer, although she gave no indication as to whether or not she knew that "he" referred to the still unmentioned unicorn, who had returned to haunt her.

"Phoebe," said Emmeline gently. "Are you starting to understand this?"

"I think I am," she said slowly. "I am dreaming a memory that is hers. My nightmare is her memory."

"Yes," said Emmeline. "Now that you know, you can let go of it."

"But I still don't understand it," she said. "Unless I know what it is, I can't let go of it. I strongly suspect that I don't want to know what it is, but I still need to know to let go."

"Phoebe, I think that I can pretty much guarantee that you won't figure it out tonight," said Hal. "But I also think that Emmeline will agree that you will at least sleep more peacefully."

"Yes, Phoebe, you will," stated Emmeline. "I will leave you two down here to . . . uh . . . say goodnight. But we all need sleep."

"I'll be right up," answered Phoebe.

Emmeline wasn't even up the stairs before she knew that the Professor was kissing and caressing her. He was struggling to comfort her and this was the only way he knew how. Clearly it was what she needed. When she returned to bed in a few minutes, she gave her a ghost of a smile and settled down. She fell deeply asleep.

For a while sleep eluded Emmeline. She was beginning to realize that Phoebe might not be set free unless she knew the whole truth. She remembered how the Professor had told her earlier that she wished that she could replace her many vivid imaginings with one true image. But this truth was the reality that Trelawney was presently rejecting. It did not seem possible to escape the conundrum.

But escape they must.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	3. Chapter 3: Almost Home

**Chapter 3: Almost Home**

Hal needed to be at the worksite by six am. It was going to be a long day. He was exhausted after a long night, but he knew that he needed to be there. There was a certain touch of irony that he would be working up on the roof. He wondered what the view was like up there.

Phoebe would bring Hal, Butch, and Trelawney over for their work shifts later. He met Emmeline in the kitchen.

"There's coffee," she said gesturing towards the pot.

Gratefully he poured a cup and sat down. He looked at her with tired eyes. She smiled back sympathetically.

"It is difficult to believe it, but this is almost over. She will face down her fear and come back to us. Trelawney has enough courage and resilience for both of them. If she can face down the dark forces that has robbed her of her innocence, then Phoebe will know it and face it down herself," she explained.

"And Cholmondeley gets off scot free?" asked Hal bitterly.

"No, he has his own issues to live with. The important thing for us is to free Phoebe and Trelawney from the memories that haunt them both. Cholmondeley is no concern of ours. When all the fates are finally weighed in the balance, his will come up, as they should. Trust me, there will be no scot free about it. But for both their sakes, you will need to let go of your own bitterness, Professor," she replied.

Hal considered her words as he drove out to the worksite. He knew that his bitter feelings would help no one, especially Phoebe. But helpless to do anything else in the situation, they were all he had. It was painful for him to watch the two sisters, as they were last night. One was to be his wife, the other he saw as a daughter. The most painful aspect was that they knew what it was that Phoebe needed to ultimately realize, but it seemed that no one could tell her.

After the Professor left, Emmeline got busy preparing breakfast for the kids. She had told Phoebe to sleep in a little longer, but of course she was down early anyway. Emmeline looked at her as she walked in, but she just shrugged. She had to drive the kids out anyway.

However, when she came back she was dragging. Emmeline sent her up to bed with orders that she sleep. Hoping that it would help her sleep, she reminded her of where Cholmondeley was.

"Don't forget that he is Africa and Cousin William will contact us immediately if he disappears. I believe that it is unlikely that he will do that. He has developed an 'interest' in a native girl."

Phoebe smiled wanly and obediently went back to bed. Emmeline knew that she was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Prudence was disappointed when she was told that Nanny had returned to bed.

"I wanted to spend time with Nanny. She promised that we would do something special together this morning," she said, obviously sad.

"You could do something special with me," Emmeline suggested.

Prudence thought for a moment and then said, "It's not the same. You're not going to be my Mommy someday."

"Oh, I see. You want to have some time alone with Phoebe so you could pretend that she was already your Mommy," she said wisely.

Prudence nodded vigorously. Emmeline found it touching. Her acceptance of both Phoebe and Trelawney, not to mention her early attempts to draw Trelawney out of her grief, pointed to the possibility that Prudence, like Professor, had a better than average understanding of their world.

"You know, we could play that pretend game as well. When I was a little girl, if my Mum wasn't feeling well, I would think of a special surprise for her. Would you like to work with me on a special surprise?" she asked in her best conspiratorial whisper.

Prudence nodded again and whispered, "What shall we do?"

"What are the kind of things that Phoebe likes best?" she whispered back.

Prudence thought for a minute. "She likes when we make her things."

"Hmm, what else does she like?" asked Emmeline.

"She likes her garden," answered Prudence, now getting into the spirit of the game.

"I know!" said Emmeline. "You can draw her pictures of her plants in the garden and I will help you make them into a book. Would you like that?"

"Oh, yes, please," replied the little girl. She then ran off to find some paper and crayons.

"Woo!" thought Emmeline. "I'm glad I thought of that one quickly."

Emmeline was not especially good with children. She found entertaining them particularly difficult. However this little project would serve two purposes. It would keep Prudence busy while Phoebe rested and the end product was something that she would treasure. It was going to be a long hot day and she was glad to be able to stay inside. She just hoped that Phoebe would be able to sleep without nightmares. She did not like to think of what Prudence's reaction what be to such an occurrence.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The day on the worksite was blazing hot and a challenge for all involved. The crew on the roof had it the worst because when they were up on the roof, they were out in the sun. Unfortunately there was no shade at all up there. By nine am, Hal had developed a genuine admiration for the young kids who had been up there all along. They were organized and well trained by Donny. The work was not particularly skilled labor, however it was very precise.

He could see the need of the now fifteen minute shifts. The ambient heat was being absorbed by both the black tar paper and shingles. The temperature up there had to be well over one hundred degrees. Every time he came down, he was literally pouring forth sweat. Rehydration and cooling down took a long time, which explained the need for more men and more shifts. He also now understood why the younger guys wanted to take off their shirts, however he pointed out to them,

"Those white tee shirts don't only protect you from the sun and they reflect it back. They also absorb your perspiration and that cools you off."

The young men did not look very happy at his insight, but they were smart enough to see the logic, even if they did not like it. The other kids on the ground had it easier, but were still hot. Trelawney, Francine and some of the other girls were painting the porch. It was amusing to see Francine bossing the high school girls around, but he had to admit that she knew her stuff and was a very hard worker.

Butch and Hal were helping Kevin and some of the other kids with the playground equipment. Some of it needed to be assembled and since that was Hal's forte, he was kept busy as well. Hal was proud of his kids, especially Butch who had seemed to have grown up a lot in the last two weeks. While he was still not above fooling around with Tim Lenihan when given the chance, when he had a specific task, he would stick with it until it was done. Fortunately for all involved, Pastor Mark was still their personal site coach. That kept him away from the construction.

By lunch time things were starting to look very good for all aspects of the project. The Knights of Columbus were out manning their grills and feeding the hungry army. Hal was grateful that they had stepped up to help. Aunt Lottie and Mrs. Darmstadt had certainly been on target when they had suggested them for the food.

One old fellow commented, "It's amazing how hard these kids will work if you just keep them fed and watered. They're real polite too. They say thank you for everything."

On one of his breaks from the roof Hal commented to Pastor Jason, "It's interesting how the kids figured out how the work crews should be organized. It feels like they're just one big 'God Squad' out here getting everything done. They really don't separate themselves out by church."

"Well," said Pastor Jason, "That's pretty much the age. These kids want to do things. They express Christ's message through their actions. Because of that they don't care much about the subtleties of doctrinal differences."

"I'm happy that my kids have gotten to be a part of it," said Hal. "Has Trelawney said anything to you today?"

Pastor Jason looked thoughtful. "Well, she hasn't said much, but what she has said hasn't made much sense."

"That's nothing unusual," grimaced Hal. "Phoebe claims that she dramatizes her insights, but if you can strip out the theatrics, you can usually make out a pretty simple message."

"Has Emmeline been helpful so far?"

"Up to a point," he said. "I think that we're getting close, but a sticking point may be that Trelawney does not trust Emmeline. Last night she actually came down when Phoebe had her nightmare, but she wouldn't tell us everything, other than affirm what Phoebe had seen in her dream and spout out a little more mumbo-jumbo. Emmeline asked her point blank if she trusted her and she said no."

"Isn't this about Phoebe?" asked Pastor Jason.

"It's actually more about Trelawney than we originally thought. Whatever Phoebe's nightmare is, it was a memory of Trelawney's. 'The darkness,' she now calls it. Apparently the unicorn has made his final exit. The memory probably is still there, but she says that it no longer comes for her or to her. She won't tell Emmeline enough that we can make sense of it for Phoebe. It's hard to say why she is holding back," he said.

"Does she think that Emmeline may try to take her away?" asked Pastor Jason.

"I don't know. None of us have asked her," Hal replied

"Do you want me to try?" he asked.

"If she trusts you, I would say yes. You may not be her gallant knight, but perhaps you could appeal to her as God's minister," replied Hal, at this point thinking that it was almost a lost cause.

But Pastor Jason was thoughtful. "Or His angel."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

By six pm, when Phoebe, Emmeline, and Prudence went out to the worksite, the roof was done. Everything was painted, organized and ready to go. Tomorrow the appliances and furniture would go in. The inspection was set for ten am and Jim had no worries.

"We did it," he said. "Or rather these kids did it. They proved to everyone that with a little bit of muscle and a lot of heart, even miracles can happen. Old Abercrombie admitted to me yesterday that he thought that we were nuts when we started the project, but he's just as happy that he's not going to have Harvey Sloan asking him how he could put a family of eight out on the street."

At the name Harvey Sloan, Hal saw Phoebe wince, but he was too tired to react himself. He would remind Emmeline to give her the latest report on Cholmondeley. Hopefully that would end that nonsense.

For the present, he just wanted to get home to a hot shower and his bed. The other three workers in the family were equally tired. Before they even got in the car, the kids were arguing over who would get the bathroom first. However, Hal was so exhausted that he yelled at them to shut up or they would have to walk home.

Francine solved half the problem by inviting Trelawney over to her house. Left with only Hal and Butch he tossed a coin. When Butch won the toss, Hal opened his mouth to protest but closed it when he saw his father's face.

Phoebe was looking well rested. As he took his shower he was regretful that she was not already his wife. Nothing could have made him feel better than curling up with her in his bed to sleep for about twelve hours. He sighed as he settled in alone, but was out cold before he knew it. It had been a long day.

When he woke up it was dark out. Checking his bedside clock, he saw that it was eleven pm. He was starving. Walking down the hall, he peeked in the kids' rooms and saw all four crashed out. Phoebe's door was closed, so he assumed that she and Emmeline were in bed too. He went downstairs to find something to eat in the kitchen and discovered Phoebe sitting in the living room knitting.

"Would you like something to eat now?" she asked pleasantly. "You must be starving after your long sleep."

"What are you doing still up?" he asked curiously.

"I spent most of the day in bed. Emmeline insisted," explained Phoebe. "I'm not quite ready to go to sleep again."

"Well then, in that case, I would certainly like it if you joined me," he said.

Once in the kitchen she fixed him a cold roast beef sandwich and some of the leftover potato salad. Getting an iced tea for each of them, she sat down beside him. He picked up her left hand and kissed it. Looking at it thoughtfully, he said,

"This beautiful hand is only missing one thing . . ."

Her eyes shone back at him with hope and love.

". . . A ring to proclaim to the whole world that you are mine."

He continued to examine her hand and was thus unaware that she was smiling at him in amusement. Not realizing the irony of his words he added,

"Of course it has to be the perfect ring."

**The End**

_In the final story "Restoration," the Flemings are restored to their home, with renewed hope in the future. Nanny finally discovers the origin of her nightmares and prepares to move into the future with a reborn faith in the rightness of things._


End file.
